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Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS (ニンテンドーDS Nintendō DS) often shortened to NDS and DS (short for "'''Developers' System"' or '"Dual Screen"), is a Nintendo handheld video game system. The Nintendo DS features a clamshell design, similar to the dual screen Game & Watch games and the Game Boy Advance SP. The handheld is noted for having two screens, the lower one being a touch screen. In addition to the touch screen functionality, the DS also includes a built in microphone and, a first for a Nintendo handheld, Wi-Fi capabilities. A stylus comes packaged with every Nintendo DS system that can be placed into a slot when not in use. Being the first model in the DS series, four iterations of the Nintendo DS have been released including the original piece of hardware, the Nintendo DS Lite, the Nintendo DSi, and the Nintendo DSi XL ('''Nintendo DSi LL). All the four models were discontinued worldwide in 2014. However, the original DS was discontinued on January 31 of that year, the DS Lite was discontinued on March 31 of that year, and the DSi and DSi XL were discontinued on September 30 of that year, ten days before the release of the New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL. The successors to the Nintendo DS line, Nintendo 3DS (released in 2011), are handhelds similar in appearance that can produce 3D graphics without the need for glasses, but are also backwards compatible with DS games. The Nintendo DS was the first system by Nintendo to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, people can play with gamers all around the world, and can register them as a friend via the Friend Code system. Several games made use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, including the fourth and fifth generation Pokémon games, Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World. With over 150 million units sold worldwide, the Nintendo DS is the best selling Nintendo game system, and the second best-selling game system only behind the PlayStation 2. This includes all of the redesigns, but not the Nintendo 3DS. It has also sold over 943 million units of software. Since May 20, 2014, online play for many Nintendo DS games has been discontinued due to the closing of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/vyWpoM6CBIe6FjW8NIY7bvzOrgBURhzw The DSi Shop was later discontinued on March 31, 2017, with the gainable points discontinued on September 30, 2016.DSi Shop Closure Support The graphical capability of the DS is said to be on par with the Nintendo 64, albeit with enhanced 3D modeling, but more pixelated textures due to lack of texture filtering. Hardware The Nintendo DS is a bulky clamshell handheld. The design of the Nintendo DS was greatly influenced by the dual screen Game & Watch games like Donkey Kong. The lower portion of the Nintendo DS features a touch screen that can be used via the stylus. There are four face buttons including A, B, X, and Y, all to the right of the touch screen. The D-pad is to the left of it. Above the d-pad is the power button, which is used to turn the system on and off. Above the four face buttons are start and select. When open, the shoulder buttons, L and R, are behind the top portion of the system but are placed at the top of the bottom half of the clamshell. The button control is very identical to the controller of the SNES. The top portion includes the top screen and two stereo speakers. The microphone is placed below the touch screen on the Nintendo DS, though its placement on the four different iterations of the Nintendo DS differs depending on the handheld. The microphone can detect sounds and blowing. Some game software can recognize certain words that the player says, such as in Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!. Technical specifications Interface The menu on the DS is the first Nintendo handheld to have a menu, but the DS menu is very basic. The top screen contains an analog clock and calendar along with a bar at the top. The bar contains your username, a 24-hour digital clock and calendar, and how charged the battery is (green for charged, red for running out of charged, and blinking red for about to die). On the bottom screen, there are several icons. These icons are the programs on the DS. The top icon starts the DS game inserted (attempting to switch the game out while the DS is on will cause the DS to freeze), the icon on the left is for PictoChat, on the right is for DS Download Play, and the one on the bottom starts the GBA game inserted. There is also three other icons on the bottom; the sun icon toggles the backlight (on the DS Lite, this changes how bright the screen is). The second icon with the picture of a DS is the system settings. The third icon is a picture of an alarm clock. It opens the alarm clock. Models Nintendo DS Lite A newer model named the Nintendo DS Lite was released in 2006 and contains all the features of the original Nintendo DS with some new features such as a significantly brighter screen (with four adjustment options), a lighter weight, and a smaller overall size (having the negative side effect of a regular Game Boy Advance cartridge protruding out from the bottom, similar to playing a Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridge in the Game Boy Advance). The Nintendo DS Lite sold 89.19 million units as of 2010. It was also the final handheld system to have backwards compatibility with Game Boy Advance games. Nintendo DSi A third model, called the Nintendo DSi, was announced on October 2nd, 2008. It is thinner, lighter, and brighter than the Nintendo DS Lite, having removed the Game Boy Advance slot, which caused a lot of disappointment when it came out. However, this means that the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, which was used with titles such as Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, cannot be used. Two cameras, music playback functions, Wi-Fi, internet browser, larger screens, and a Wii-like channel interface were added. Additionally, the console supports WPA encrypted networks. The DSi is also able to download games from the Nintendo DSi Shop, which are then stored on an SD Card or in internal memory. It was released in Japan on November 1st, 2008, in North America on April 5th 2009 and in Europe on April 13th, 2009. The DSi's front has a camera lens, and another, smaller lens is located where the mic was positioned on the Lite, allowing for photos to be taken with the DSi. Nintendo DSi XL In 2009, Nintendo later released the Nintendo DSi XL (called Nintendo DSi LL in Japan), with the "XL" standing for "Extra Large."http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/Q5D4ti_bPqJO_I0Oup0AMFudaUOLz6C7 It is also the largest, brightest, and heaviest of the four models. Top Ten Best-Selling DS Games *''New Super Mario Bros.'' (2006) - 30.75m *''Nintendogs'' (2005) - 23.96m *''Mario Kart DS'' (2005) - 23.56m *''Brain Age'' (2005) - 19.01m *''Pokémon Diamond and Pearl'' (2006) - 17.63m *''Pokémon Black and White'' (2010) - 15.58m *''Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day'' (2005) - 4.03m *''Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver'' (2009) - 12.72m *''Animal Crossing: Wild World'' (2005) - 11.73m *''Super Mario 64 DS'' (2004) - 11.03m Trivia *It should be noted that, since the Nintendo DS, all of Nintendo's systems have featured a way to play with more than 4 local players. *The Nintendo DS and the 3DS allow up to 16 players, the Wii allows 8 players with 4 Wii Remotes and 4 GameCube controllers (though only few games went up to 5), and the Wii U allows 5 players with 4 Wii Remotes and a GamePad. The Wii U also supports up to 8 players using combinations of the GamePad, GameCube controller (via adapter), Wii Remote and Wii U Pro controllers but only one game supports 8 players. *The Nintendo DS was the first video game console to be played on Mt. Everest in June 2005. In fact, it was one of the only pieces of electrical equipment that did not fail once during the climb. The game played was Madden DS. *The Nintendo DS was the first system to have a game from the now popular Cooking Mama franchise. *If the DS or DS Lite is turned on on the date that the user has set as their birthday, a high pitched chime will play. The DSi and DSi XL will not do this. *At one point, a special "Pink Ribbon" Nintendo DS Lite was released in late September 2008. For every one bought, $5 would be donated to the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Association. *One of the possible names for the DS was City Boy. This name made it possible for Nintendo to continue the Game Boy brand (seen as a child's toy) while trying to appeal to an urban young adult crowd. *The Nintendo DS is the only handheld system to have neither a Player's Choice or Nintendo Selects label on select video games. *The Nintendo DS was released before and discontinued after the Game Boy Micro. See also *Nintendo DS Games *Nintendo DS Accessories *Nintendo DS Lite (Successor) *Nintendo DSi (Successor) *Nintendo DSi XL (Successor) *Nintendo 3DS (Successor) References External links *Nintendo DS Wiki fr:Nintendo DS ja:ニンテンドーDS Category:Nintendo handhelds Category:Nintendo DS Category:Nintendo systems